Sliding table top construction



P 1952 c. H. HENNELL 2,612,423

I I SLIDING TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed July 28, 1949 ArrogNzr Patented Sept. 30, 1952 ;v

UNITED STATES e a-c a 2,612,423 SLIDING, TABLE Tor ce t vcms h ohms; Ene ies, Inglewood, Calif; Application wa 1949, ses m 1073 051, 1 1

' 4 car s. (cram-3s) This invention relatestotables and more particularly to a table having the top thereof adjustable relative to its supporting structure.

The table of the presentinvention is particularly adapted for use in breakfast nooks, booths and other table and seatinstallations in which fixed, arcuately arranged seating accommodations areused. In such table and seatinstallations the table is generally anchored to; the floor to avoid excessive wear which would be produced by the supporting structure .if, the latter was; free to move over the floor. As the table top must be closely spacedfrom the, seatstructure for the convenience and. comfort of the users, it is extremely awkward for the persons intending to sit medially of the seat structure to slip into position. V

This difiiculty is obviated by. the table: of the present invention, for the table top'is movable substantially in itsown plane relative to the supporting structure therefor. As the table top may be, slidably adjusted substantially in' its own plane, a person intending to sit at the rear of the nook or booth withfwhich the table is, used can easily move the tabletop to open a, passage at one side or the other of the nookor booth, de-

pendingupon the direction of movement of the and supports the same as the top is moved relative to the supporting structure.

As-the table top is notsecured, to thepIanar member, some means must be providedfor limit ing movement of the table top relative, to the planar member. In one embodiment of. the present invention this stop, means is. formed by a skirt depending from a decorativemolding stripsecured about the peripheral edgeportionof the table top. In another embodiment illustrated, the stopmeans is formed by a flange carried by the molding strip inwardly of the depending skirt. As the table top can. be. easily removed from its supporting structure, the floor area beneath the table :topcan; be made. readily accessible for cleaning; This. is. aparticularly' desirable: feature of he-present; invention: as the fixed .tables of i prior table and seatinstallations have rendered the cleaning of the floor, particularly in the rea of the booth or no'ok, extremely difficult.

Other features andadvantages of the present invention will be hereinafter. apparent. from the following detailed description, particularly when taken in connection with'the'accompanying drawing; in which: i I

Figure, 1 is a plan view ofthe; table of thepresent' invention shown in'use witha fix'ed,arcuately arranged, seat structure;"' j

'Figurezis 'arsection takenalon'g lines-4 of Figure 1'; j

Figure 3'is a'fragmentary view in section on an enlarged'scale showingthe molding, strip attached aboutthe peripheral edge portion. of the table top; and

Figure 4 is a View similar to Figure, abut showihgamodified formof thetable.

The tabletop of the present; invention, referring now to the drawing, ,andmoreparticularly" to Figure 2 thereof, comprises a table top Hi supported by a base member .I l.', Although the base member. II has. been shown as a pedestalv type support, it is obvious. that other types of supporting structure could be used. l/Vhere' a pedestal typesupport is used, the upper end there.- of may carry arelativelywide annularor'circular flange 12 to which is rigidly secured 'a. plate member l3 having a planar upper surface. The member, although of a shape .substantiallyid'entical to the shape of thetable top his smaller in size than thelatter;

The member [3 supports the table top 10 for limited sliding movement substantially in the plane of the table top In for thelatter is disposed on the member with the undersurface: thereof in facewise engagement with the planar surface. It will now be seen that-the tabletop Hlmay be slidably adjusted substantially; initsown plane relative to the supporting base I [merely byapplying a force; against the table top III in the plane thereof; sufiicient to move, the table top over I the member-I3. To reduce friction at the engaged. surfaces of theumember l3 andtheltable top; [0 a film of some anti-friction materialsuch asparaffin or .the like is preferably: appliedto each'offorming a groove for receiving the peripheral edge portion of the table top H). The upper flange I5 is preferably formed with a radius on its exposed surface to eliminate any sharp corners and to further increase the decorative effect of the molding strip. v

The lower flange 16, on its inner surface is formed with a plurality of teeth 11 which tend V to bite in to the under surface of the table top to resist, removal of the molding strip from the peripheral edge of the table top. To securely anchor the molding strip to the table top, the

for passing a fastening element l8 such as a screw or the like. The fastening elements l8,

whether they be screws or some other convene tionai fastening means, securely hold the molding strip about the peripheral edge of the table top but yet do not mar the appearance of the table, for they are not visible to the users of the table.

The molding strip is formed with a depending skirt I9 which extends downwardly a distance substantially equal to the thickness .of the planar flange I6 is formed with a plurality of openings difference between the size of the planar mem ber I 3 and that of the table top 10. I k The distance the table top l0 extendsbeyond the planar member I3'mustbe such that a stable structureis had even when the top is moved to any one of its extremepositions of adjustment. This necessarily depends on the size of the table so that theamount of'adjustment of thertable top lilrelative to its supporting structure H will, therefore, vary in accordance with the size of the table top. Thus tabletopsof relativelylarge silzej inherently have a large range of movement which 'ofcourse is desirable for larger nooks mbooths are more, difficult to get into than'the smaller sizes;

As the fasteningelements 18 extend transversely tothe direction of movement of thetable top, engagement between the skirt l9 and the peripheral edge of the supporting planar mem- I ber I3"p1aces these fastening elements in-shear.

As' such fastening elements-have a high shear strength, there islittle, if any, likelihood ofthe element'sfailing influse. w If desired, the moldingstrip M can be formed with coextensive grooves'2 l into which canbe fitted decorative strips 22 for enhancing the appearance of the mo1dingfstrip.:" The decorative strips 22, for instance, m'ay' *begiven a color identical to thecolor-of thesurfacing layer 23 carried by the upper faceof the table top 10. It should also-be noted that the flange I5, as it extends inwardly. about the peripheral edge of the table top l0, protects the peripheral edge of the surface layer'23 andlprevents: separation of this layerfrom zthe'ltopz'face of the table top It].

As previously'indicated, the table of the present invention; is particularly adapted for use in breakfast nooks, booths, and other table and seat installations in which fixed, arcuately arranged seating accommodations arejused. Such an ar- ,saidme'mber providing a support surface extendrangement is shown in Figure 1 in which 24 indicates the fixed, arcuately arranged seating accommodations for seating persons using the table of the present invention. In the past, where the table used with such seating accommodations has been fixed, it has been extremely diflicult and very awkward for the persons intending to sit at the rear to slip into their positions. This is not so with the table of the present invention, for a' person :intendingto sit'at the rear of the nook or both can easily move the table top Iii to the left, as viewed in Figure 1, for example, which, as should not be understood, will open a passage at the right of the nook or booth to permit the person access into the booth to assume'his'p'o'sition at the rear thereof. After the person has been seated the table top can be returned to its position centrally of the seating accommodations by merely moving the top to its desired position. As the table top is universally adjustable relative to its supporting structure, it can beadjusted to permit easy access into either side of thenook or booth. It should be noted thatithe flange or skirt it forms a convenient hand hold for pulling the tabletop into any desired position .of adjustment; Where a pushing, force is to be exerted against the table, the hands may merely be placed against the edge fof the table top and the force applied by moving, the hands away from'the body. Affurther' feature of the table of the present invention resides in the factthat the table top in can be-removed from its supporting structure to permit thefioor area under the table, to be easily'c'zleaned.v After the floor area has been cleaned, the table can be again put in use by merely placing the table top on the planar member l3 and pushing the table relative thereto in the desired position. I V

There isshown'in Figure 4 a modified form of the table of the present invention. In this form of the invention, the molding strip 24 is secured to'the table 001125 in substantially the same way as is the-molding strip l lsccured the table top Ill. .In this form of the invention, however, the skirt 26 depending from the strip does not form the stop means or stop shoulder for limiting movement of the table top relative to the planar supporting member 21, for in this embodiment the stop meansor stop shoulder is formed by a lip 23 coextensive with and downwardly extending from'the inner edge gf the fiange'29. It will be seen that the stop means formed by the downwardly extending lip 23 spaces the peripheral 'edgefof the supporting member 21 from the skirt' 26*a'n'd thuseliminates any danger of a use'rs iin'gers being pinched between the skirt 26 and the supporting member 2? as thetable top 25 'is';-adjusted "relative to the latter.

1 The skirt 2B, asin thefea'rlier described -e bodiment of the inventiein-Q'serves'asa hand hold for adjusting" the tabletop and will conceal the supporting member": to a casual observer of comprising: .a;floor-engaging support means; a-

support member carried by said supp'ortmeans,

ing substantially in a horizontal plane; a table top slidingly resting on said support surface for universal movement in said plane; and means forming a stop shoulder around the periphery of said table top extending below said plane to engage said member 'aroundthe periphery of said support surface to limit the range of universal movement of the table top on the support member, said table top being dimensioned relative to said support surface for maximum overhang in any direction substantially less than the dimension of the support surface in the same direction to make said table top stable at all positions, said table top being freely lif table from said surface for access to the floor adjacent said support means.

2. A table as set forth in claim 1 in which said table top is covered with a surface layer and said peripheral means serves the further functions of protecting the peripheral edge of the surface layer and of preventing separation of the sur face layer fro-m the table top.

3. A table as set forth in claim 1 which includes a skirt extending around the periphery of the table top serving the dual purpose of ornamentation for the border of the table top and handle means for slidingly manipulating the table top, and in which said stop shoulder is spaced inwardly from said skirt to provide finger space adjacent the skirt at all limit positions ofv the table top.

4. A table as set forth in claim 3 in which said stop shoulder and said skirt are integral parts of REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 7 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 718,821 Cooper Jan. 20, 1903 826,669 Kindgen July 24, 1906 1,768,731 Awbery July 1, 1930 1,888,478 Steidl Nov. 22, 1932 1,934,372 OConnor Nov. 7, 1933 1,983,559 N011, Sr. Dec. 11, 1934 2,096,908 Lytle Oct. 26, 1937 2,195,318 Modray Mar. 26, 1940 2,251,395 Campbell Aug. 5, 1941 2,307,396 Draxler Jan. 5, 1943 2,332,291 Binz Oct. 19, 1943 2,346,985 Mercur Apr. 18, 1944 2,360,474 Cederquist Oct. 17, 1944 2,396,242 Binz Mar. 12, 1946 Flicker May 23, 1950 

